Lutalo: It’s time to remove the pretenders

The 27-year-old has endured a tough time with injury since his silver medal in Rio, but is now fully fit and ready to prove himself all over again.

“I wasn’t able to defend my title because of injury, but now I’m feeling amazing. There are some pretenders out there, but I fully intend to reaffirm my position and show exactly why I am the World Grand Prix champion. I’m back and ready to bust up the division once again.”

The WTF World Taekwondo Grand Prix rolls into Manchester between 19-21 October, and Lutalo just can’t wait to put on a show for his home crowd.

“It’s super exciting competing in Manchester,” he explained. “I’ve not competed at home in the UK for a good few years now and Manchester is my adopted home, too.

“I fully intend to put in a performance. I want to perform at my best and we all know what the result will be when I do that. I’m hard at work in the gym now, preparing for what is going to be an amazing Grand Prix event.

“Taekwondo is a very, very, exciting sport. I would say to anybody, come to Manchester, get yourself a ticket and come see the very best in the world face off.”

The Grand Prix Series is vital event in the build-up to next year’s World Championships and will also feature Lutalo’s fellow GB stars Jade Jones and Bianca Walkden who are aiming to create even more thrilling and inspiring moments. It’s a must-see!